Iowa’s Zero Fatalities program is a multiagency effort currently supported by the Iowa departments of Transportation, Health, and Public Safety through the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau. The leaders of each agency were on hand today to help kick off the program.

“Last year 317 men, women, and children died on Iowa’s highways. While that is a decrease from years past, we know with simple improvements, we can do much better and prevent traffic deaths,” said Branstad. “If each of us adopts a zero fatalities goal for our families, we can make zero a reality statewide. To achieve this, we all must give full attention to the task of driving when we are behind the wheel.”

The program highlights five dangerous driving behaviors and encourages Iowans to:

1. Slow down.

2. Drive sober.

3. Focus on the road.

4. Stay alert.

5. Buckle up. Every seat, every time.

“With the Fourth of July holiday right around the corner and summer travel increasing, I join Governor Branstad in fully endorsing this multiagency effort to increase safety on Iowa’s roadways,” said Reynolds. “With just a few proactive adjustments to traveling, we can significantly reduce traffic deaths and obtain our goal of zero fatalities.”

The program includes initiatives from each of the partner agencies working to encourage safe driving behaviors; television, radio, and online spots; and a presence on social media. To find out more about the program, go to www.zerofatalities.com and click on “Iowa” in the drop-down box. You can also follow the effort on Twitter (@zeroiowa) and Facebook www.facebook.com/zerofatalitiesiowa.

Iowa’s Zero Fatalities program is part of a larger campaign that includes three other states, Arizona, Nevada and Utah. The Zero Fatalities program supports Iowa Strategic Highway Safety Plan that includes efforts in engineering, law enforcement, education, emergency medical services, and driver attitudes and behaviors to improve the overall safety of Iowa’s roadways.